Snowdrop Watch

It’s a good thing I didn’t plan a big festival for late November to welcome the first snowdrops of the season.

They are not to be found this year.

Where they came up last year and bloomed at the end of November—see picture for evidence—there is now a bunch of henbit growing and a ceramic sign that says “Snowdrops” so I know I’m looking in the right spot.

What is the difference between last year and this year?

Well, thanks for asking. We gardeners love to talk about the weather!

Looking at my pictures from last year, I note we had a pretty significant snowfall event in the middle of November, around the 12th. Then we must have warmed up because I have pictures and a video of bees buzzing around autumn crocuses on November 29th. Maybe that cold spell followed by the warm spell woke up the snowdrops?

This year, I’d say we’ve been mostly warmer with a gradual cool down to the point where this morning it is 18F and there are some snow flurries out there. That’s about -8C for readers who measure their temperature that way.

Snow flurries reminds me that I bought a little notebook the other day because on the cover it said, “A snowflake is winter’s butterfly.” Kind of a nice idea when the snowflakes are flurries and they aren’t going to pile up enough to get out a snow shovel or make the roads slick and icy. But the analogy falls apart quickly when you are looking at accumulated snow. Don’t think of all the snowflakes piled up as butterflies piled up. DO NOT.

But, I do love a good blank notebook, a topic for another day.

I love a pretty little snowdrop too.

If we warm up again, and we will because 18F is colder than normal for the end of November, perhaps a snowdrop or two will appear in the week ahead? Maybe in time for Christmas!

I’m now officially on snowdrop watch!

(Yes, when it warms up, I’ll weed out that henbit. I promise!)